A diet high in omega-3s is a great way to help maintain a lean, healthy physique year round, health and performance coach Daine McDonald explains.

Have you heard of the term "superfood"? Well, if there is one nutrient that deserves this title it would be omega-3. Numerous studies have shown the positive effects of a diet high in omega-3, from lowering blood pressure to boosting levels of serotonin — our "happy" brain chemical.

A balanced intake of omega-3s in our diet can also help you fight fat — here's how.

The modern-day dilemma

Modern man can trace our human ancestry back 4 million years. For more than 99 percent of that time humans were hunters and gatherers. This lifestyle that we lead established a dietary balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats at the ideal proportion between 1:1 and 1:4.

Most experts agree that the ratio today is somewhere between 1:20 to anywhere as high as 1:60! Some believe that humans kept this balanced ratio until the mid-1800s when our diet began to fundamentally change. Our present day diet is rich in grains and seeds but poor in marine life, which in turn has lead to an increased omega-6 imbalance in our bodies.

This unbalanced ratio has lead to a myriad of health complications in the modern-day man. Modern-day eating habits tend to contain or utilise foods that are high in omega-6, such as vegetable oils (corn, soybean, sunflower) and all this excess omega-6 we are eating is stored in the body as fat and increases inflammation.

Omega-3s, the hose that puts out the flame

Omega-3s are like a water cannon that goes around our bodies putting out inflammation, so they help put out the fire.

The two main ways by which omega-3s do this is firstly through reducing the expression of our lipogenic genes. These are the genes in our body that regulate fat production. A balanced omega-6 to 3 ratio helps keep these genes in check.

Omega-3s also decrease the state of insulin resistance in our cells. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the receptor sites on our cells become resistant to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate our energy and carbohydrate metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in our liver, muscle and fatty tissues to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle.

Over time these receptor sites can become switched off and "clogged up" due to constant abuse to the pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) due to excessive carbohydrate intake or through consistently high levels of stress hormones in the blood.

This leads to insulin and the carbohydrate molecules it is attached to being stored as fat rather than being utilised through our cells. Omega-3s actually unclog those receptor sites allowing insulin to be utilised in a growth promoting manner — rather than in a fat-inducing manner.

What's the most common sign of someone whose cells are in an insulin resistant state? An increase in fat storage around the dreaded "love handles" region.

How much omega-3 for me?

According to world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin, for fat loss omega-3 intake should be approximately 1g to 1.5g per percentage of body fat. The general rule of thumb is 1g equals 1 capsule and a teaspoon equals 5g. The best way to have your body fat accurately assessed is to seek the help of a certified biosignature practitioner or find a place that uses the DEXA scan technology. These are the only two methods I recommend.

Once you have identified your body fat levels you need to select an appropriate brand. There are only three brands on the Australian market that I recommend — metagenics, biocetuics and poliquin. Why? All three are pharmaceutical grade and practitioner-only products meaning they are free of toxins such as mercury.

For someone who has more than 25 percent body fat I recommend 20g to 25g of fish oil per day for the first few weeks, combined with a diet high in seafood such as salmon, sardines or barramundi. Following this plan I would expect to see their body fat drop several percentage points during this time, especially around their "muffin top".

As their body fat drops I will re-dose their omega-3 intake accordingly. Too much omega-3 for too long has been shown to disrupt our body's fatty acid metabolism. So after four to six weeks you can drop the omega-3 amount to half or less. Supplementing with a pharmaceutical grade GLA (gamma linolenic acid) or eating foods with a higher GLA content will help maintain a healthy fatty acid metabolism during this period. At this point take omega-3 and GLA in 2:1 ratio for a month.

So purchase some high-quality fish oil, eat more seafood and finally start winning the war against those "love handles" that nobody really loves!

Daine McDonald has a background in human movement science and is currently completing undergraduate studies in nutritional medicine. He is a PICP level two strength coach and one of only four level two biosignature practitioners in Australia. He works at Fitness First (North Sydney and Bond St, Sydney).For more information, check out www.cleanhealth.com.au or email Daine at daine@cleanhealth.com.au.